JP2006302623A - Plasma treatment device and plasma treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma treatment device reducing treatment unevenness on a subject surface. <P>SOLUTION: By means of this plasma treatment device, plasma generation gas G is activated by discharge under a pressure about atmospheric pressure to be blown to a subject 5. A plurality of through holes 2, in each of which the plasma generation gas G flows in from an opening on one end side and the activated plasma generation gas G flows out from an opening on the other end side, are formed in an insulated base material. A reactor R constructed of the insulation base material 1 having the through holes 2 and electrodes 3 and 4 is formed when the electrodes 3 and 4 generating discharge inside each of the through holes 2 are arranged in the insulation base material 1. A conveying device 50 is installed for conveying the subject 5 in the direction orthogonal to the outflow direction of the activated plasma generation gas G from the through holes 2. At least one of the reactor R and the conveying device 50 is turned freely around the rotation axis parallel to the outflow direction of the activated plasma generation gas G from the through holes 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes cleaning of foreign substances such as organic substances existing on the surface of the object to be processed, resist peeling and etching, improvement of organic film adhesion, metal oxide reduction, film formation, plating pretreatment, coating pretreatment, The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus used for surface treatment such as surface modification of various materials and parts, a plasma generation reactor applied to the plasma processing apparatus, and a plasma processing method using the same, The present invention is suitably applied to the cleaning of the surface of electronic parts that require precise bonding.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 19 (a), a pair of flat electrodes 3 and 4 are disposed so as to face each other vertically, thereby forming a space between the electrodes 3 and 4 as a discharge space. A plasma processing apparatus A has been proposed in which a plurality of through holes 2 penetrating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) are formed. In this plasma processing apparatus A, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 to generate a discharge in the discharge space to generate plasma, and the workpiece 5 is placed under the electrode 4 provided with the through holes 2. While being conveyed in the direction, the plasma is blown out downward from the through-hole 2 and supplied to the object to be treated 5, so that the object to be treated 5 is subjected to plasma treatment such as surface modification. (See Patent Document 1).

  In this plasma processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 19B, the electrode 4 provided with the through hole 2 is formed of a wire mesh or a punching metal, and is orthogonal to the direction parallel to the transport direction of the workpiece 5. The plurality of through-holes 2 are formed in the electrode 4 so that the openings of the plurality of through-holes 2 are arranged at equal intervals in this direction. The plurality of through holes 2 are formed so as to be dispersed throughout the electrode 4.

  When this plasma processing apparatus A is used, plasma can be blown from almost the entire surface of the electrode 4 through the through-hole 2, and a large-area workpiece can be plasma-processed at high speed.

However, in the above-described plasma processing apparatus, plasma is not blown out from the portion where the through-hole of the electrode is not formed (between adjacent through-holes). There is a problem in that plasma is not supplied and linear processing unevenness occurs in the workpiece.
JP 2003-318000 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in performing plasma processing by blowing activated plasma generating gas from a plurality of through holes and supplying it to an object to be processed, processing unevenness is prevented. An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method that can be reduced.

  The plasma processing apparatus A according to the present invention is a plasma processing apparatus in which a plasma generating gas G is activated by discharge under a pressure close to atmospheric pressure, and the activated plasma generating gas G is sprayed on an object to be processed 5. A plurality of through holes 2 through which the plasma generating gas G flows from the opening on one end side and the activated plasma generating gas G flows from the opening on the other end side are formed in the insulating base material 1, By providing the insulating base 1 with the electrodes 3 and 4 for generating a discharge within the reactor 2, a reactor R comprising the insulating base 1 provided with the through holes 2 and the electrodes 3 and 4 is formed and activated. The plasma generating gas G is provided with a transport device 50 for transporting the workpiece 5 in a direction orthogonal to the flow direction from the through hole 2 of the plasma generating gas G, and the through hole of the activated plasma generating gas G is provided. Parallel to the outflow direction from 2 At least one of the reactor R and the conveyor device 50 around the shaft and is characterized in that formed by rotatably formed.

  The plasma processing method according to the present invention is a plasma processing method using the plasma processing apparatus A according to claim 1, wherein the reactor R and the processing direction of the workpiece 5 transported by the transport device 50 are After rotating at least one of the transfer devices 50, the activated plasma generating gas G is sprayed on the object 5 to be processed.

  In the present invention, a gas discharge is generated inside each through hole, and a gas flow of an activated plasma generating gas containing active species generated by this gas discharge is blown out from the plurality of through holes to be processed. By supplying to, high-efficiency and uniform plasma can be generated over a large area, and surface treatment of a workpiece over a large area can be performed uniformly with a small gas flow rate. When the processing area capable of plasma processing at a time is increased as described above, it is possible to perform plasma processing on a large-area workpiece at a time, thereby improving processing efficiency. Is. In addition, since the plasma treatment is performed while the workpiece is being transported, the time during which the workpiece being transported is exposed to the gas flow of the activated plasma generating gas can be lengthened, and the amount of gas can be reduced. Thus, the surface treatment can be efficiently performed, and therefore, the contact time between the object to be treated and the active species can be increased without increasing the gas flow rate, thereby increasing the plasma treatment capability. The amount of consumption does not increase, and the running cost of the plasma processing does not increase, so that it is not economically disadvantageous. Further, a transport device for transporting the object to be processed in a direction orthogonal to the outflow direction of the activated plasma generating gas from the through-hole, and from the through-hole of the activated plasma generating gas is provided. Since at least one of the reactor and the transfer device is formed to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the flow direction of the reactor, the reactor or the transfer is performed with respect to the transfer direction of the workpiece to be transferred by the transfer device. After rotating one or both of the apparatuses to a desired angle, the activated plasma generating gas can be sprayed onto the object to be processed, and the interval between adjacent through holes is apparently narrowed and activated. The portion where the plasma generating gas is not sprayed is less likely to occur on the object to be processed, and processing unevenness can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  2 and 3 show an example of the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention. This plasma processing apparatus includes a reactor R having a plate-like insulating base material 1 and a plurality of through holes (through holes) 2 and a plurality (a pair) of electrodes 3 and 4 embedded in the insulating base material 1. It has.

  The insulating substrate 1 is preferably formed of an insulating material (dielectric material) having a high melting point. For example, a glass material having high heat resistance and high strength such as quartz glass, alumina, zirconia, mullite, aluminum nitride and the like. Although it is preferable to form with a material, ceramics, etc., it is not limited to these materials. In particular, it is preferable to form with high strength and inexpensive alumina. Also, a high dielectric material such as titania or barium titanate can be used.

  The electrodes 3 and 4 can be formed using a conductive metal material such as copper, tungsten, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel, but it is particularly preferable that the electrodes 3 and 4 be formed of copper, tungsten, or the like.

  The material of the insulating base 1 and the electrodes 3 and 4 has a small difference in coefficient of linear thermal expansion in order to prevent breakage due to a difference in deformation caused by a thermal load applied during the production of the reactor R or plasma treatment. It is preferable to select and use them appropriately.

  The shapes of the insulating base material 1 and the through-hole 2 are appropriately designed, but the insulating base material 1 is preferably formed in a plate shape, and the illustrated insulating base material 1 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. A plurality of through holes 2 having a circular shape in plan view that penetrates in the direction (thickness direction of the insulating base material 1) are formed. Each through-hole 2 is opened on one surface and the other surface of the insulating base material 1, respectively. The opening on one surface of the insulating base material 1 is formed as a gas inlet 2a and the opening on the other surface is formed as a gas outlet 2b.

  The through-hole 2 can be formed in an appropriate shape. For example, a plurality of through-holes 2 having a circular shape in plan view are dispersed in a two-dimensional manner, or a plurality of rectangular (slit-like) through-holes are formed. 2 can be formed in parallel and parallel. In particular, when the through-holes 2 having a circular shape in plan view are formed in a two-dimensionally dispersed manner, it is necessary to devise the diameter and pitch of the through-holes 2, but the flow rate (flow velocity) per unit time of the plasma generating gas G It is possible to uniformly inject the plasma generating gas G activated over a wide area while suppressing the above.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the insulating base material 1 is arranged with one surface upward and the other surface downward, and a plurality of circular through holes 2 in a plan view pass through in the vertical direction to form a gas inlet 2 a. Is formed so as to open on the upper side and the gas outlet 2b on the lower side. The openings of the plurality of through holes 2 are provided so as to be two-dimensionally dispersed on one surface and the other surface of the insulating base material 1. In the illustrated example, the through holes 2 are arranged in a planar square lattice shape in plan view. And the intervals between adjacent through-holes 2 are substantially equal. That is, the openings (gas introduction ports 2a and gas outlets 2b) of a large number of through holes 2 are arranged at equal intervals in two directions orthogonal to each other in the plane direction of the plate-like insulating base material 1. The openings are arranged in a lattice pattern and a large number of through holes are arranged at equal intervals. And since many through-holes 2 are distributed and formed over the whole insulating base material 1, the gas inlet 2a and the gas blower outlet 2b extend over the whole upper surface and lower surface of the insulating base material 1. Are two-dimensionally distributed and open.

  The way of arranging the through holes 2 is not limited to this, and the through holes 2 can be arranged in an appropriate pattern. For example, when the through holes 2 are provided so as to be arranged in a close-packed hexagonal lattice shape (staggered) in a plan view, the through holes 2 can be arranged more densely and uniformly, and plasma processing on the workpiece 5 can be performed. Furthermore, it becomes possible to carry out uniformly. The size of each through hole 2 and the interval between the through holes 2 are activated in the through holes 2 with high efficiency by the discharge of the plasma generating gas and discharged from the through holes 2. The plasma generating gas G may be appropriately set so that it is uniformly injected, but it is particularly preferable that the diameter (inner diameter) be in the range of 0.01 to 15 mm, and the adjacent through holes 2 Is preferably in the range of 0.03 to 60 mm. For example, when plasma processing is performed on the workpiece 5 having a small area, it is preferable that the diameter of the through hole 2 is reduced.

  The electrodes 3 and 4 are formed so that a discharge is generated between the pair of electrodes 3 and 4 in the through hole 2 when a voltage is applied. For example, the pair of electrodes 3 and 4 A power source 6 is connected between the electrodes 3 and 4 so that a pulsed voltage having a rest period is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4. One of the paired electrodes 3 and 4 can be formed as a grounded grounded electrode. At this time, a space between the pair of electrodes 3 and 4 in the through hole 2 is formed as a discharge space.

  The electrodes 3 and 4 can be formed in an appropriate shape so that a discharge can be generated in the discharge space as described above. It is preferable to form so that 4 may be arrange | positioned to the side of the through-hole 2. As shown in FIG.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the insulating base 1 is arranged such that one surface is upward and the other surface is downward, and a plurality of through holes 2 having a rectangular shape (slit shape) in plan view penetrate in the vertical direction. The gas inlet 2a is formed so as to open on the upper side and the gas outlet 2b is opened on the lower side. The openings of the plurality of through holes 2 are provided so as to be arranged in parallel and parallel on one surface and the other surface of the insulating base material 1 and are formed so that the intervals between the adjacent through holes 2 are substantially equal. . The dimensions of the through holes 2 and the intervals between the through holes 2 are activated in the through holes 2 with high efficiency by the discharge of the plasma generating gas G, and are activated by being ejected from the through holes 2. The plasma generating gas G may be appropriately set so that it is uniformly injected, but it is particularly preferable that the width dimension (dimension in the short direction) is in the range of 0.01 to 15 mm. It is preferable to form the space | interval of 2 in the range of 0.01-30 mm. In this case, the activated plasma generating gas G is continuously ejected from the gas outlet 2b of the through hole 2 along the longitudinal direction of the through hole 2, and therefore, particularly in the through hole 2 When performing the plasma treatment while conveying the workpiece 5 along the short direction, it is possible to further improve the uniformity of the surface treatment.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of one electrode 4 and the other electrode 3 are embedded in the insulating base material 1, and the one electrode 4 is on one side of the insulating base material 1 ( The other electrode 3 is disposed on the other surface side (lower side, gas outlet 2b side) of the insulating base material 1 on the upper side, the gas inlet 2a side, and the pair of electrodes 3 and 4 are the through holes 2. Are arranged side by side in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G. The electrodes 3 and 4 are disposed with a space therebetween, and an insulating material (dielectric material) constituting the insulating base 1 is interposed between the electrodes 3 and 4. At this time, in the illustrated example, each electrode 3, 4 is formed in a continuous layer shape inside the insulating base 1, and an opening 8 is formed at a position corresponding to each through-hole 2, and the inner surface of this opening 8 is The electrodes 3 and 4 are formed so as to surround the through-hole 2 by being formed so as to surround the through-hole 2. That is, each electrode 3, 4 is not separately formed for each through-hole 2, and the inner surfaces of the plurality of openings 8 formed in the continuous layered electrodes 3, 4 are formed in each through-hole 2. It is formed as a discharge surface that generates a discharge.

  Here, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the inner diameter of the opening 8 of each electrode 3, 4 and the inner diameter of the through hole 2 are formed to be the same size, and the inner surfaces of the opening 8 and the through hole 2 are flush with each other. The electrodes 3 and 4 are formed so as to be exposed in the through hole 2 on the inner surface of the opening 8. In this case, the discharge performance when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 can be improved, and the density of active species in the plasma generating gas G can be improved to improve the surface treatment efficiency. In particular, when the reactive gas is not contained in the plasma generating gas G, even when the electrodes 3 and 4 are exposed, the electrodes 3 and 4 are less worn at the time of discharge. It is preferable to improve the discharge performance by exposing.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter of the opening 8 of each electrode 3, 4 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the through-hole 2, and the inner surface of the opening 8 of each electrode 3, 4 is all an insulating substrate. 1 is embedded inside. At this time, the electrodes 3 and 4 are formed so as not to be exposed in the through hole 2, and when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4, dielectric barrier discharge occurs in the through hole 2. In this case, the discharge surfaces of the electrodes 3 and 4 are protected by the insulating material (dielectric material) constituting the insulating base 1, and even when the reactive gas is contained in the plasma generating gas G. Wear of the electrodes 3 and 4 can be prevented. Further, when the electrodes 3 and 4 are exposed, an arc may be generated under a high voltage and the discharge may become unstable. However, by covering the electrodes 3 and 4 with an insulating material (dielectric material), the high voltage The occurrence of arc discharge below is suppressed, and stable discharge can be maintained. The thickness of the coating of the electrodes 3 and 4 by the insulating material (dielectric material) constituting the insulating base 1 is set as appropriate. In order to sufficiently protect the surfaces of the electrodes 3 and 4 and maintain good discharge characteristics The thickness is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 3 mm.

  The distance between the electrodes 3 and 4 (the distance between the discharge surfaces) is preferably set to 0.01 to 5 mm in order to stably generate gas discharge (plasma).

  When the electrodes 3 and 4 are arranged side by side in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G in the through hole 2 as described above, the electrodes penetrate due to the potential difference between the electrodes 3 and 4 as shown in FIG. The lines of electric force generated in the holes 2 (arrows in the figure) are in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G. At this time, since a high-density streamer discharge can be generated in the discharge space in the through hole 2, the density of active species generated by this discharge can be increased, thereby improving the efficiency of the plasma treatment. It becomes possible. In particular, in the illustrated example, since the discharge surfaces of the electrodes 3 and 4 are formed so as to surround the entire circumference of the through hole 2, the lines of electric force are generated over the entire circumference of the through hole 2, Accordingly, a discharge is generated along the entire inner periphery of the through hole 2, and therefore, plasma can be generated with higher efficiency.

  In particular, when the electrode 3 disposed on the gas outlet 2b side of the insulating substrate 1 is formed as a ground electrode, the electrode 3 or 4 that forms a pair during the surface treatment of the workpiece 5 is placed on the workpiece 5 side. Since the disposed electrode is a ground electrode, an increase in the potential difference between the electrode 3 and the object to be processed 5 is suppressed, and an arc between the electrode 3 and the object to be processed 5 is prevented. It is possible to prevent the workpiece 5 from being damaged by electric discharge.

  In the electrodes 3 and 4 formed in layers as described above, it is preferable that there is no missing portion (missed portion) other than the opening 8. 13 (a) and 13 (b) show examples of the electrodes 3 and 4 provided on the insulating base material 1 shown in FIG. 2. In this case, a large number of missing portions 30 exist around the opening 8. It is preferable to use the electrodes 3 and 4 in FIG. 13B in which the defect portion 30 does not exist around the opening 8 rather than the electrodes 3 and 4 in FIG.

  When the insulating base material 1 is formed using the electrodes 3 and 4 in FIG. 13A, when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 by the power source 6, the insulating base material 1 as shown in FIG. A creeping discharge 31 is generated at both the location corresponding to the opening 8 and the location corresponding to the missing portion 30 on the lower surface of the substrate.

  On the other hand, in the case where the insulating substrate 1 is formed using the electrodes 3 and 4 in FIG. 13B, when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 by the power source 6, as shown in FIG. Only the creeping discharge 31 is generated mainly at the position corresponding to the opening 8 on the lower surface of the material 1, and the creeping discharge 31 is reduced as compared with that in FIG.

  And the creeping discharge 31 is the discharge closest to the workpiece (workpiece) 5, and if there are many creeping discharges 31, an arc from the creeping discharge 31 to the workpiece 5 is likely to occur. In the insulating base material 14 (b), the creeping discharge 31 is smaller than that in the case of FIG. 14 (a), so that it is difficult to generate an arc between the workpiece 5 and the treatment by discharge. Damage to the object 5 can be reduced.

  Of the pair of opposing electrodes 3 and 4 formed in layers as described above, the peripheral edge of the electrode 3 disposed closer to the workpiece 5 is surrounded by the periphery of the electrode 4 disposed farther away. It is preferable to protrude outward from the end. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, when the insulating base material 1 provided with a pair of opposed electrodes 3 and 4 is orthogonally projected, the upper electrode 4 and the lower electrode 3 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 15A). Are preferably similar, and the electrodes 3 and 4 are preferably formed in a pattern with a size such that the upper electrode 4 is included in the lower electrode 3. When the area of the lower electrode 3 is formed larger than the area of the upper electrode 4 in this way, as shown in FIGS. The peripheral end portion of the electrode 3 on the side protrudes and can thereby lower the voltage between the peripheral ends of the electrodes 3 and 4 than the voltage between the electrodes 3 and 4 in the through hole 2. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the creeping discharge 31 at a position corresponding to the gap between the peripheral edges of the electrodes 3 and 4 on the lower surface of the insulating base material 1, and to prevent the creeping discharge 31 at a position other than the position corresponding to the opening 8. This can reduce the amount of damage to the workpiece 5 due to arcing. In FIG. 15B, a part of the through hole 2 is not shown.

  Further, the electrodes 3 and 4 can be formed in an appropriate shape in addition to the above. In addition, a plurality of electrodes 3 and 4 may be provided side by side in a direction (for example, a direction orthogonal) intersecting the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G in the through hole 2.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, two pairs of electrodes 3 and 4 are embedded in the same layer in the insulating base material 1 in a pattern at intervals, and one electrode 4 has each through hole. The other electrode 3 is disposed on the other side of each through hole 2.

  In the illustrated example, one electrode 4 and the other electrode 3 that are paired are embedded in the insulating base material 1, and each electrode 3, 4 is in the same layer in the insulating base material 1. The paired electrodes 3 and 4 are arranged side by side in a direction intersecting (orthogonal to) the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G in the through hole 2. The electrodes 3 and 4 are disposed with a space therebetween, and an insulating material (dielectric material) constituting the insulating base 1 is interposed between the electrodes 3 and 4.

  In the illustrated example, each electrode 3, 4 is formed in a continuous layer shape inside the insulating base 1, but at this time, each electrode 3, 4 is a power feeding section that is long in the direction along the direction in which the through holes 2 are arranged. A plurality of electrode portions 3b, 4b that are long in the longitudinal direction of the through hole 2 are formed in a comb shape from 3a, 4a, and between the adjacent through holes 2, the electrode portions 3b of the electrodes 3, 4 are formed. , 4b are alternately arranged, and the electrode portion 3b of one electrode 3 is arranged on one side of the through hole 2, and the electrode portion 4b of the other electrode 4 is arranged on the other side. That is, each electrode 3, 4 is not formed separately for each through-hole 2, but the end surfaces of the electrode portions 3 b, 4 b formed on the continuous layered electrodes 3, 4 are located in each through-hole 2. It is formed as a discharge surface for generating a discharge.

  The distance between the electrodes 3 and 4 (the distance between the discharge surfaces) is preferably set to 0.01 to 5 mm in order to stably generate gas discharge (plasma).

  When the electrodes 3 and 4 are arranged in this way, as shown in FIG. 11B, the electric lines of force (arrows in the figure) generated in the through hole 2 due to the potential difference between the electrodes 3 and 4 are generated by plasma generation. The direction intersects the flow direction of the working gas G. At this time, the plasma generating gas G can be activated by generating a discharge in a direction crossing the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G.

  Here, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the distance between the opposing end surfaces of the electrode portions 3 b and 4 b of each electrode 3 and 4 is formed to be larger than the width dimension of the opening of the through hole 2. The end surfaces of the electrode portions 3 b and 4 b of the electrodes 3 and 4 are all embedded in the insulating base material 1. At this time, the electrodes 3 and 4 are formed so as not to be exposed in the through hole 2. In this case, the discharge surfaces of the electrodes 3 and 4 are protected by the insulating material (dielectric material) that constitutes the insulating base 1, and the electrodes 3 and 4 can be prevented from being worn in the same manner as shown in FIG. It can be done. Also in this case, it is preferable that the thickness of the coating of the electrodes 3 and 4 with the insulating material (dielectric material) constituting the insulating base 1 is in the range of 0.01 to 3 mm.

  Moreover, although not shown in figure, the space | interval of the electrode parts 3b and 4b of each electrode 3 and 4 and the width dimension of the opening of the through-hole 2 are formed in the same dimension, The electrode parts 3b and 4b The end surface and the inner surface of the through-hole 2 may be flush with each other, and the electrodes 3 and 4 may be exposed in the through-hole 2 at the end surfaces of the electrode portions 3b and 4b. In this case, as in the case shown in FIG. 2B, the density of the active species in the plasma generating gas G can be improved to improve the surface treatment efficiency.

  Although not shown, even when the through-hole 2 is formed in a slit shape as shown in FIG. 7, one electrode 4 is one surface of the insulating substrate 1, as shown in FIGS. The other electrode 3 is arranged on the other side (lower side, gas outlet 2b side) of the insulating base 1 on the side (upper side, gas inlet 2a side), and the paired electrodes 3, 4 The insulating material (dielectric material) constituting the insulating base material 1 is arranged side by side in the direction parallel to the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G in the through hole 2 through the insulating material (dielectric material). Can do. In this case, for example, each electrode 3, 4 is formed in a continuous layer shape inside the insulating substrate 1, and an opening is formed at a position that matches each through hole 2, and the inner surface of this opening defines the through hole 2. It can be formed to surround. In this case, the lines of electric force generated in the through hole 2 due to the potential difference between the electrodes 3 and 4 are parallel to the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G as shown in FIG. In this discharge space, a high-density streamer discharge can be generated, so that the density of active species generated by this discharge can be increased, thereby improving the efficiency of the plasma treatment.

  The reactor R composed of the insulating base material 1 provided with the electrodes 3 and 4 having the above-described configuration facilitates the fine molding of the electrodes 3 and 4 and the through holes 2, and the fine through holes 2 are formed in the reactor R. By providing a plurality of electrodes 3 and 4 for generating a discharge in each through-hole 2, the activated plasma generating gas G can be injected from each through-hole 2 arranged in a two-dimensional manner. Thus, it is possible to increase the area of the processing surface and make the processing uniform on the processing surface.

  Here, in obtaining the reactor R in which the through hole 2 and the electrodes 3 and 4 are provided in the insulating base material 1, for example, a sheet material formed by mixing a powder of an insulating material with a binder or the like is used as a conductor. They can be stacked via a film.

  The sheet material is formed by forming a mixed material in which ceramic powder such as quartz glass, alumina, zirconia, mullite, aluminum nitride, etc. is added with a binder or various additives as required, into a sheet shape. Obtainable. The thickness of the sheet material is appropriately set according to the thickness of the insulating base 1, the distance between the electrodes 3 and 4 when the electrodes 3 and 4 are formed in two layers, and the like. It is preferable that it is the range of 05-5 mm.

  The conductor film can be obtained by printing and molding a conductive metal material such as copper, tungsten, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel on an insulating substrate.

  And, for example, by forming a conductor film on the sheet material and laminating another sheet material on the sheet material to form a laminate in which the conductor film is provided between the sheet material layers, and firing the laminate The insulating base material 1 can be obtained by integral molding. The through-hole 2 may be formed after this lamination molding, but a sheet material in which an opening is provided in advance at a position corresponding to the through-hole 2 is formed by aligning this opening at the time of lamination molding. By doing so, it is preferable to form the through-hole 2 simultaneously with the lamination molding.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, etc., one electrode 4 is on one side of the insulating base material 1 (upper side, gas inlet 2a side), and the other electrode 3 is on the other side of the insulating base material 1 (lower side). For example, first, a conductive film is printed on one surface of the first sheet material in a desired pattern shape of one electrode 4 (or 3). Then, the second sheet material is laminated on the upper surface of the conductive film, and then the conductive film is placed on one surface of the second sheet material to have a desired pattern shape of the other electrode 3 (or 4). The third sheet material is further laminated and disposed on the upper surface of the conductor film. Further, a sheet material in which a conductor film is printed and molded in a desired pattern shape of the electrode 4, a sheet material in which a conductor film is printed and molded in a desired pattern shape of the electrode 3, and a conductor film is not formed. The sheet material may be laminated and disposed so that the sheet material is disposed on each of the outermost layers on both sides and each conductor film is disposed between the sheet materials. Subsequently, the reactor R is produced by baking this laminated body.

  In addition, when one electrode 4 and the other electrode 3 that form a pair are arranged in the same layer in the insulating base 1 as shown in FIG. 7, for example, first on one surface of the first sheet material. The conductor film is printed and formed in a desired pattern shape of one electrode 4 and the other electrode 3, and a second sheet material is further laminated on the upper surface of the conductor film. Subsequently, the reactor R is produced by baking this laminated body.

  The reactor R as described above is disposed on the flow path of the plasma generating gas G so that the plasma generating gas G flows into the through hole 2 from the gas inlet 2a and flows out of the gas outlet 2b. Moreover, when arrange | positioning the to-be-processed object 5 under the gas blower outlet 2b, it is made to convey the to-be-processed object 5 with conveyance apparatuses 50, such as a roller 51 and a belt conveyor. By sequentially transporting the plurality of objects to be processed 5 to the lower side of the gas outlet 2b by the transport device 50, the plurality of objects to be processed 5 can be continuously plasma-processed.

  And when performing the plasma processing to the to-be-processed object 5 using the above plasma processing apparatuses A, it carries out as follows. First, a voltage is applied between the discharge electrodes 3 and 4 by the power source 6 and a plasma generating gas G is supplied into the through hole 2 from the gas inlet 2a. As a result, a glow-like dielectric barrier discharge is generated in the discharge space under a pressure near atmospheric pressure. The dielectric barrier discharge means that at least one discharge space side surface of a pair of (a pair of) discharge electrodes 3 and 4 is covered with a dielectric (insulating base material 1), thereby forming a gap between the discharge electrodes 3 and 4. This is a discharge phenomenon that occurs in the discharge space by applying a voltage such as an alternating voltage between the discharge electrodes 3 and 4 in such a state that no direct discharge occurs.

  By generating a dielectric barrier discharge in the discharge space as described above, the plasma generating gas G is turned into plasma (activated), and a gas containing active species (plasma) is generated in the discharge space. The activated plasma generating gas is caused to flow downward by the pressure of the plasma generating gas G continuously supplied from the inlet 2a and continuously blown out from the gas outlet 2b of the through hole 2. It is. Then, gas is conveyed while the workpiece 5 is conveyed at a substantially constant speed in a direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the blowing direction (vertically downward) of the activated plasma generating gas G from the gas outlet 2b. The object to be processed 5 is subjected to plasma treatment by passing the object under the gas generating gas G that is passed through the lower side of the outlet 2b and blown out from the gas outlet 2b to be exposed. It is something that can be done. The distance between the gas outlet 2b and the surface of the workpiece 5 is appropriately set depending on the flow rate of the gas flow of the plasma generating gas G, the type of the plasma generating gas G, the content of the workpiece 5 and the surface treatment, and the like. Although it is possible, it can set to 1-30 mm, for example. Moreover, although it is preferable that the conveyance speed of the to-be-processed object 5 shall be 10-200 mm / sec, for example, it is not limited to this.

  Here, in the present invention, the workpiece 5 is transported horizontally by the transport device 50 in a direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the activated plasma generating gas G from the through hole 2. The reactor R located above the workpiece 5 is rotated on a horizontal plane so that the state shown in FIGS. That is, in the state of FIG. 1 (a), the reactor R includes a plurality of through holes 2 arranged at equal intervals in two directions orthogonal to the plane direction of the flat insulating substrate 1, and a gas inlet 2a. The gas outlets 2b are arranged in a grid and arranged at equal intervals, and in a plan view, the through holes 2 are arranged in two directions, a direction orthogonal to a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the workpiece 5. However, from this state, the reactor R is activated around a rotation axis (vertical axis) parallel to the outflow direction of the plasma generating gas G from the through hole 2 as shown in FIG. Set to the state of b). As a result, the interval between the adjacent through holes 2 and 2 (the interval between the adjacent gas inlets 2a and 2a) is apparently narrower in FIG. 1A than in FIG. A portion where the plasma generating gas G is not sprayed is less likely to be generated on the object to be processed 5, and therefore, processing unevenness of the object to be processed 5 can be reduced. In addition, when rotating the reactor R, you may carry out manually and drive means, such as a motor, may be used. Further, the angle at which the reactor R is rotated depends on the manner in which the through holes 2 are arranged, the interval between the adjacent through holes 2 and 2, the type of plasma treatment for the workpiece 5, and the like. What is necessary is just to adjust so that a space | interval may become narrow. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the direction T1 parallel to the conveying direction of the workpiece 5 and the center line in the short side direction of the reactor R (the arrangement of the through holes 2 in the short side direction of the reactor R). (Direction) The rotation angle θ of the reactor R may be adjusted within a range where the angle (rotation angle) θ formed by T2 is 0 <θ ≦ 45 °.

As the plasma generating gas G, a rare gas, nitrogen, oxygen, and air can be used alone, or a plurality of kinds can be mixed. As the air, dry air preferably containing almost no moisture can be used. As the rare gas, helium, argon, neon, krypton, or the like can be used, but argon is preferably used in consideration of discharge stability and economy. Further, a reaction gas such as oxygen or air can be mixed with a rare gas or nitrogen for use. The type of reaction gas can be arbitrarily selected depending on the content of the treatment. For example, oxygen, air, CO ₂ , N ₂ may be used for cleaning organic substances present on the surface of the object 5 to be processed, resist peeling, organic film etching, LCD surface cleaning, glass plate surface cleaning, and the like. It is preferable to use an oxidizing gas such as O. In addition, a fluorine-based gas such as CF ₄ , SF ₆ , or NF ₃ can also be used as a reactive gas, and it is effective to use this fluorine-based gas when etching or ashing silicon or resist. . In the case of reducing the metal oxide, a reducing gas such as hydrogen or ammonia can be used.

  Such a plasma generating gas G is activated by the discharge between the electrodes 3 and 4 in the discharge space in the through hole 2, and at this time, a high voltage is applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 by the power source 6. As a result, an electric field is generated in the discharge space. Due to the generation of this electric field, a gas discharge is generated in the discharge space under atmospheric pressure or in the vicinity thereof, and the plasma generating gas G is activated by the gas discharge. (Plasmaization) and active species (ions, radicals, etc.) are generated in the discharge space.

  At this time, the plasma generating gas G is preferably supplied to the through-hole 2 at a pressure capable of supplying a predetermined flow rate per unit time without being affected by the pressure loss, and the pressure in the gas storage chamber 11 is reduced. It is preferable that the pressure be supplied so as to be atmospheric pressure or a pressure in the vicinity thereof (preferably 100 to 300 kPa).

  The voltage applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 from the power source 6 to activate the plasma generating gas G introduced into the through hole 2 from the gas inlet 2a is an alternating waveform (AC waveform), a pulse waveform. Alternatively, an appropriate waveform such as a waveform obtained by superimposing these waveforms can be used. In particular, it is preferable to apply a voltage having a pulse waveform having a pause period. In this case, it is possible to generate a stable and highly efficient discharge in the through-hole 2, and at this time, it is possible to prevent occurrence of no discharge in each of the plurality of through-holes 2, It is possible to maintain a uniform discharge in each through hole 2. The uniform discharge is maintained because even if discharge does not occur accidentally in some of the through holes 2, the discharge state in each through hole 2 is once canceled in the pause period, and the pause period ends. It is considered that this is because when the voltage is applied again, the discharge state is restored to a uniform state.

  8, 9, and 10 show examples of voltage waveforms when a pulsed voltage having a pause period is applied. The example shown in FIG. 8 is a rectangular wave that alternates through the pause period, and FIG. The example shown in Fig. 10 is a vibration wave pulse that repeats rising, decaying, and pausing at a fixed period. Fig. 10 shows a cycle of positive pulse voltage output, pausing, negative pulse voltage output, and pausing within one wavelength, like a rectangular wave. Is a symmetrical pulse that repeats as In the symmetrical pulse waveform of FIG. 10, since the discharge form can obtain a state close to a rectangular wave, switching can be performed at a low voltage, and a transformer can be used for boosting, the configuration of the power supply 6 is for a rectangular wave. It is possible to simplify compared with the thing. At this time, the voltage between the electrodes 3 and 4 necessary for continuously generating the gas discharge in the discharge space varies depending on the inner diameter of the through-hole 2 and the distance between the pair of electrodes 3 and 4, and may be set as appropriate. For example, it can be set to 0.05 to 30 kV.

  Further, when a pulsed waveform power source is used as the power source 6, the repetition frequency of the voltage waveform applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 is preferably set to 1 Hz to 200 kHz. If this frequency is less than 1 Hz, the discharge in the discharge space cannot be stabilized, and the surface treatment may not be performed efficiently. Further, if the frequency exceeds 200 kHz, the temperature rise of the gas discharge (plasma) in the discharge space becomes significant, and the discharge tends to concentrate on some of the through holes 2, so that the discharge is uniformly performed in the plurality of through holes 2. It becomes difficult to generate.

  Further, when a pulsed waveform power source is used as the power source 6, it is preferable that the duty ratio of the voltage waveform be 0.01 to 80% in order to generate a particularly efficient and stable discharge. Here, the duty ratio in the rectangular pulse wave as shown in FIG. 8 is the width from the rising edge of one pulse to the falling edge, from the rising edge of one pulse to the rising edge of the next pulse through the pause period. Divided. In the case of the vibration wave pulse as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the width between the first rise of the pulse and the fall waveform of the second pulse is changed from the rise of the first pulse to the damped vibration part and Divided by the period including the rest period.

  Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the electrodes 3 and 4 are grounded at the midpoint, and thereby, the voltage can be applied to both the electrodes 3 and 4 while being floated with respect to the ground. Therefore, the potential difference between the object to be processed 5 and the activated plasma generating gas (plasma jet) G can be reduced to prevent generation of an arc, and damage to the object to be processed 5 due to the arc can be prevented. Is. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 16A, the upper electrode 4 is connected to the power source 6 to 13 kV, the lower electrode 3 is grounded to 0 kV, and the potential difference Vp between the electrodes 3 and 4 is set to 13 kV. In this case, a potential difference of at least several kV is generated between the activated plasma generating gas G and the object 5 to be processed, thereby generating an arc Ar. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), when the midpoint grounding is used, the potential of the upper electrode 4 is set to +6.5 kV, and the potential of the lower electrode 3 is set to −6.5 kV. The potential difference Vp between 4 can be set to 13 kV, and the potential difference between the activated plasma generating gas G and the workpiece 5 becomes almost 0V. In other words, compared to the case where no midpoint grounding is used, when the midpoint grounding is used, the activated plasma generating gas G and the object to be processed 5 are generated despite the same potential difference between the electrodes 3 and 4. And the generation of an arc with respect to the workpiece 5 from the activated plasma generating gas G can be prevented.

  Thereafter, the plasma generating gas G containing active species is continuously blown out from the gas outlet 2b, and the processing object 5 is disposed below the gas outlet 2b and the plasma generation containing active species is performed. The surface treatment of the object to be treated 5 can be performed by blowing and supplying the gas flow of the working gas G to a part or all of the surface of the object to be treated 5 from the gas outlet 2b.

  When the surface treatment is performed on the workpiece 5 as described above, a gas discharge is generated inside each through-hole 2, and the gas flow of the activated plasma generating gas G containing active species generated by the gas discharge is generated. Is blown out from the plurality of through-holes 2 and supplied to the object 5 to be processed, so that a highly efficient and uniform plasma can be generated over a large area, and the object 5 to be processed over a large area with a small gas flow rate. The surface treatment can be performed uniformly.

  Thus, if the processing area which can be surface-treated at once is enlarged, it will become possible to perform surface treatment also to the to-be-processed object 5 of a large area at once, and processing efficiency will improve. Further, when the surface treatment is performed while the workpiece 5 is being transported, the time during which the workpiece 5 being transported is exposed to the gas flow of the activated plasma generating gas G may be increased. Therefore, the surface treatment can be efficiently performed with a small amount of gas. Therefore, without increasing the gas flow rate, the contact time between the workpiece 5 and the active species can be increased to increase the surface treatment capability. The gas consumption is not increased, and the running cost of the surface treatment is not increased, so that it is not economically disadvantageous.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the processing surface is formed in a rectangular shape by forming the insulating base material 1 in a rectangular shape in plan view. However, the size and shape of the insulating base material 1 and the arrangement of the through holes 2 are appropriately set. By changing, it is possible to appropriately adjust the processing area according to the object 5 to be processed, or to make the processing surface into an arbitrary shape.

  FIG. 4 shows another embodiment. In this case, the reactor R having the planar shape and the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 3 is used, and the insulating base 1 of the reactor R has a gas reservoir on one side thereof (the side where the gas inlet 2a is opened). A chamber (gas reservoir) 11 is provided, and at this time, the through hole 2 is formed to communicate with the gas storage chamber 11. The illustrated gas storage chamber 11 is provided with an inlet 10 for the plasma generating gas G to the gas storage chamber 11 on one end side (upper end side in the drawing), and on the other end side (lower end side in the drawing). An outlet 9 for the plasma generating gas G from the storage chamber 11 is provided. And the insulating base material 1 is attached to the other end side in which the outflow port 9 of the gas storage chamber 11 is provided. At this time, a plurality of outlets 9 are provided in the gas storage chamber 11, and each outlet 9 is provided at a position that coincides with each of the plurality of through holes 2 of the insulating base material 1. And the through hole 2 are formed so as to communicate with each other via the outflow port 9.

  The gas storage chamber 11 is provided with gas homogenizing means for supplying the plasma generating gas G to all the through holes 2 at a substantially uniform flow rate. That is, the plasma generating gas G is lowered when the pressure is relaxed by flowing into the gas storage chamber 11 from the inlet 10, and as a result, the plasma generating gas G is supplied to all the through holes 2. As a result, the activated plasma generating gas G blown out from all the through holes 2 can be made substantially uniform over the entire surface of the insulating substrate 1, A uniform plasma treatment can be performed by reducing the flow velocity distribution of the activated plasma generating gas G.

  Moreover, the gas storage chamber 11 can also be provided with a function as the radiator 7, whereby the insulating substrate 1 and the radiator 7 can be formed in close contact with each other. In the illustrated example, among the partition walls constituting the gas storage chamber 11, the end side partition wall (end partition wall) where the outflow port 9 is formed, and the side portion between one end and the other end of the gas storage chamber 11. The radiator 7 is formed by the partition wall (side partition wall) formed integrally with the end partition wall, and the side partition wall is provided with heat radiation fins 7b protruding outward on the outer surface, Further, the end partition walls are formed with heat-absorbing fins 7a projecting inwardly on the inner surface of the gas storage chamber 11 at portions where the outlets 9 are not formed.

  When such a radiator 7 is provided, the heat of the plasma generating gas G is absorbed by the heat-absorbing fins 7a, transmitted through the end partition walls and the side partition walls, and dissipated outside the apparatus by the heat-dissipating fins 7b. Thereby, the temperature rise of the gas G for plasma generation can be suppressed, and the temperature rise of the insulating base material 1 can be suppressed in connection with it.

  The radiator 7 is an air-cooled type provided with heat-radiating fins 7b, but a water-cooled type may be provided as the radiator 7. In the example shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a water passage 7 c through which the cooling water flows is provided in a portion between the outlets 9 in the end partition wall, and the cooling water flows through the water passage 7 c. The insulating substrate 1 is cooled. Here, FIG. 5 shows the reactor R having the shape and cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 2 provided with the radiator 7, and FIG. 6 shows the radiator R shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). 7 are respectively shown. If it does in this way, the insulating partition 1 will be cooled efficiently and the temperature rise of the insulating substrate 1 can be suppressed by cooling the edge part partition arrange | positioned closely to the insulating substrate 1. .

  The cooling water can be used as a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the insulating substrate 1 to a temperature at which secondary electrons are easily emitted. That is, secondary electrons are emitted from the insulating base material 1 when electrons and ions contained in the activated plasma generating gas G act on the insulating base material 1, but the secondary electrons are easily emitted. Although the temperature of the insulating base material 1 is preferably as high as possible, considering the damage of the insulating base material 1 due to thermal expansion, it is appropriate to keep the temperature of the insulating base material 1 at about 100 ° C. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the temperature of the insulating base material 1 to 40 to 100 ° C. with the cooling water. Thus, by using the cooling water having a temperature higher than the room temperature, the surface temperature of the insulating base material 1 can be raised from the room temperature at the start of use. Secondary electrons are likely to be emitted, and the plasma generation density can be increased by the secondary electrons emitted from the insulating substrate 1, thereby improving the plasma processing ability such as the cleaning ability and the reforming ability of the workpiece 5. It is something that can be done. The temperature of the cooling water is more preferably set to a temperature of 50 to 80 ° C. in consideration of the above-mentioned effects and taking into consideration the handleability and energy saving.

  The gas storage chamber 11 and the radiator 7 are preferably formed of a material having high thermal conductivity, and can be formed of, for example, copper, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum nitride (AlN), or the like. By forming the gas storage chamber 11 and the radiator 7 with an insulator such as aluminum nitride, the gas storage chamber 11 and the radiator 7 are less affected by the high-frequency voltage applied between the electrodes 3 and 4. Therefore, efficient electric discharge can be performed with little loss of electric power, and cooling efficiency can be increased because of high heat conduction.

  Moreover, when the temperature rise of the insulating base material 1 is suppressed by the radiator 7, it is possible to prevent the insulating base material 1 from being thermally deformed and causing breakage such as cracks. In addition, if a part of the insulating base 1 is heated excessively, the plasma generation in each through-hole 2 may become non-uniform, such as the plasma generation density being increased in the heated part. By suppressing the temperature rise of 1, the plasma generation in each through-hole 2 can be prevented from becoming nonuniform, and a uniform surface treatment can be maintained.

  Further, by incorporating an electric heater in the radiator 7 as a means for adjusting the temperature of the insulating base material 1, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the temperature adjustment by the cooling water. In this case, it is preferable to adjust the temperature of the radiator 7 by installing a temperature measuring means such as a thermocouple in the radiator 7.

  Further, a Peltier element can be installed as the radiator 7.

  The insulation substrate 1 and the radiator 7 are preferably joined by a method that has good thermal conductivity and can prevent leakage of the plasma generating gas G, for example, thermal conductive grease, thermal conductivity. It is also possible to bond with a double-sided tape or an adhesive resin-impregnated bonding material, or to mirror-polish the bonding surface between the insulating substrate 1 and the radiator 7 and bond them by pressure bonding.

  It is also preferable that the insulating base 1 and the radiator 7 are formed integrally. By forming in this way, the heat generated from the discharge space can be efficiently absorbed by the radiator 7 and also the leakage of the plasma generating gas G can be prevented, so that the temperature distribution of the insulating substrate 1 is made uniform. , Discharge can be stabilized.

  In performing plasma processing of the workpiece 5 by the plasma processing apparatus configured as described above, the plasma generation gas G is supplied from the inlet 10 to the gas storage chamber 11, and the plasma generation gas G is supplied to the outlet. 9 and the gas introduction port 2a, the plasma generating gas G is activated by discharge between the electrodes 3 and 4 in the discharge space in the through hole 2. Later, the gas is blown out from the gas outlet 2b.

  In order to supply the plasma generating gas G as described above to the through hole 2 of the reactor R through the gas storage chamber 11, an appropriate gas supply including a gas cylinder, a gas pipe, a mixer, a pressure valve, and the like is provided. Means (not shown) can be provided. For example, each gas cylinder filled with each gas component contained in the plasma generating gas G is connected to the outlet 9 of the gas storage chamber 11 through a gas pipe. At this time, the gas component supplied from each gas cylinder Are mixed at a predetermined ratio in a mixer, and are led out to the outlet 9 at a desired pressure by a pressure valve.

  In the plasma processing apparatus A, as described above, the reactor R is rotated to a desired angle in a plan view with respect to the transport direction of the workpiece 5 transported by the transport apparatus 50, and then activated. By spraying the plasma generating gas G on the workpiece 5, the plasma treatment can be performed on the workpiece 5 without processing unevenness.

  Furthermore, when the reactor R is configured by combining a plurality of insulating base materials 1, it is possible to further increase the processing area and change the shape of the processing surface.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), a plurality of insulating substrates 1 are arranged in a line to constitute a reactor R, or a plurality of insulating substrates 1 are arranged in a plurality of rows as shown in FIG. 12 (b). By arranging the reactors R in a plurality of rows, the processing area can be increased.

  In addition, when the reactor R is configured by arranging a plurality of insulating base materials 1 in an appropriate pattern, a surface treatment can be performed on a processing surface having a shape corresponding to the arrangement shape of the insulating base materials 1. It is also possible to partially perform surface treatment only on a specific shape region on the surface of the object 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), the insulating bases 1 are arranged in an L shape to constitute a reactor R, whereby the surface treatment can be performed only on the L shape region of the workpiece 5. It can be done.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12D, a plurality of insulating base materials 1 are disposed, and at this time, the insulating base materials 1 having different distances from the object to be processed 5 are disposed to constitute the reactor R. You can also In this case, the degree of the surface treatment is relatively low at a portion where the distance between the workpiece 5 and the insulating base material 1 is long, and the surface treatment is performed at a portion where this distance is short. The degree is relatively high as compared with other parts, so that it is possible to intentionally form a part having a high degree of surface treatment and a part having a low degree on the object to be treated 5 at the same time. become.

  In addition, when the reactor R is configured by combining a plurality of insulating substrates 1 as described above, the processing area is changed and the shape of the processing surface is changed by increasing or decreasing the insulating substrate 1 or changing the arrangement position. Various design changes such as a change in processing intensity can be easily performed.

  When combining a plurality of insulating base materials 1 as described above, the radiator 7 and the gas storage chamber 11 may be provided for each insulating base material 1. You may provide the one heat radiator 7 and the gas storage chamber 11 for supplying the gas G for plasma generation simultaneously, or performing the thermal radiation of each insulating base material 1 simultaneously.

  When the reactor R is formed by combining a plurality of insulating base materials 1 as described above, it is preferable to feed each insulating base material 1 from the same power source 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 17 (a), a reactor R including a unit A composed of a single insulating base 1A and a power source 6A and a unit B composed of a single insulating base 1B and a power source 6B. When formed, the insulating base 1A of the unit A is fed from the power source 6A and applied between the electrodes 3 and 4, and the insulating base 1B of the unit B is fed from the power source 6B and applied between the electrodes 3 and 4. However, it is difficult to synchronize the high frequency voltage generated by the power source 6A of the unit A and the high frequency voltage generated by the power source 6B of the unit B. As shown in FIG. As a result, the voltage generated by the power source 6A and the voltage generated by the power source 6B may interfere with each other, and a voltage having a desired waveform may not be supplied.

  Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 18, it is preferable to feed power to a plurality of insulating bases 1 from a power source 6 such as the same high frequency power source. In the example shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of transformers 32a, 32b, and 32c are electrically connected in parallel to one power source 6, and a plurality of insulating bases 1 are attached to each of the transformers 32a, 32b, and 32c. They are electrically connected in parallel. In this reactor R, the phases of the voltages supplied to the respective insulating base materials 1 can be prevented from being shifted from each other, and the desired waveforms can be prevented by preventing the voltages supplied to the respective insulating base materials 1 from interfering with each other. It is possible to supply a voltage of.

  Further, in the present invention, when a plurality of electrodes 3 and 4 are arranged side by side in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the plasma generating gas G in the through hole 2 in particular, a high density streamer discharge is generated in the discharge space. Without increasing the applied power for generation, the density of active species in the gas stream can be increased to enhance the surface treatment capability. Thereby, the surface treatment capability is enhanced without increasing the time for supplying the gas flow of the plasma generating gas G containing the active species to the object to be treated 5. Time can be prevented from becoming long, and productivity can be prevented from decreasing.

  Further, since the density of active species in the plasma generating gas G sprayed on the object to be treated 5 is increased in this way and the surface treatment capability is enhanced, the gas outlet 2b and the surface of the object 5 to be treated Therefore, it is not necessary to shorten the distance between the two, so that the generation of an arc from the discharge field to the workpiece 5 is suppressed, and the workpiece 5 is prevented from being damaged by the arc. In addition, since the generation of the arc can be suppressed in this way, there is no need to interpose a metal mesh for preventing discharge between the gas outlet 2b and the object 5 to be processed. It is possible to prevent the surface treatment capability from being lowered due to the interruption of the gas flow of the plasma generating gas G. Furthermore, the problem that the metal such as the electrodes 3 and 4 corrodes and the oxide (rust) scatters to contaminate the workpiece 5 does not occur.

  And even if it is a case where the reactor R is formed by combining a plurality of insulating base materials 1, the reactor R is set in the transport direction of the workpiece 5 transported by the transport device 50 as described above. After rotating to a desired angle in a plan view, the activated plasma generating gas G is blown onto the workpiece 5 so that the plasma treatment can be performed on the workpiece 5 without processing unevenness. .

  The present invention can be applied to surface treatments for various materials to be treated 5, and in particular for various flat panel displays such as glass materials for liquid crystals, glass materials for plasma displays, glass materials for organic electroluminescence display devices, and the like. It can be applied to surface treatment of various resin films such as glass materials, printed wiring boards and polyimide films. These objects 5 to be processed, especially glass materials for flat panel displays such as liquid crystal glass materials, have been progressively increased in size, so that a large area can be uniformly processed and the processing area can be designed. The plasma processing apparatus and the plasma processing method according to the present invention that can be easily changed can be suitably applied. When surface treatment is performed on such a glass material, a transparent electrode made of ITO (indium tin oxide), a TFT (thin film transistor) liquid crystal, or a CF (color filter) is used on the glass material. The provided one can also be subjected to surface treatment. Moreover, when performing surface treatment with respect to a resin film, surface treatment can be continuously performed with respect to the resin film currently conveyed by what is called a roll-to-roll system.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, a case has been described in which the conveyance direction of the workpiece 5 by the conveyance device 50 is constant, and the reactor R is rotated with respect to the conveyance direction. The transfer device 50 can be rotated around a rotation axis parallel to the outflow direction of the activated plasma generating gas G flowing out from the through hole 2 of the reactor R. Moreover, you may make it rotate both the reactor R and the conveying apparatus 50 mutually. In other words, in the present invention, one or both of the reactor R and the conveying device 50 may be rotated so that the predetermined angle θ is formed.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically by way of examples.

Example 1
A conductor film is printed on one surface of the first sheet material (thickness 0.4 mm), and a second sheet material (thickness 1.4 mm) is further laminated on the upper surface of the conductor film. A conductor film was printed on one surface of the sheet material No. 2, and a third sheet material (thickness 1.4 mm) was laminated on the upper surface of the conductor film.

  At this time, the first to third sheet materials are formed by forming a mixed material containing alumina powder into a sheet shape, and each sheet material is formed with an opening having a diameter of 1 mm. Lamination was performed so that the positions matched.

  The conductor film was formed by printing a tungsten layer and formed in a pattern in which openings 8 having a diameter of 3 mm larger than the openings of the sheet material were arranged so as to surround the openings of the sheet material.

  A reactor R having the shape in plan view shown in FIG. 2A and the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 2 was produced by heating and firing the thus formed laminate.

  At this time, the insulating substrate 1 has 55 through holes 2 having a diameter of 1 mm and is formed to a thickness of 3.2 mm, and each of the 55 through holes 2 covers an area in a range of 45 × 22 mm in plan view. It arrange | positioned so that the space | interval of adjacent through-holes 2 might be 4.5 mm.

  The electrodes 3 and 4 are formed of two upper and lower tungsten conductor layers having a thickness of 30 μm, and are arranged so that the openings 8 of the electrodes 3 and 4 surround the through holes 2. The distance between the pair of upper and lower electrodes 3 and 4 (the distance between the discharge surfaces) was 1.4 mm. The openings 8 of the electrodes 3 and 4 are formed to have a diameter of 3 mm and are not exposed to the inner surface of the through hole 2, and the insulating base material is provided between the openings 8 of the electrodes 3 and 4 and the inner surface of the through hole 2. An insulating coating having a thickness of 1 mm is formed by an insulating material (dielectric material) constituting 1. The upper electrode 4 was connected to a power source 6 and the lower electrode 3 was grounded.

  A gas storage chamber 11 provided with a heat radiator 7 made of aluminum nitride as shown in FIG. 5 is installed on the upper portion of the insulating base 1, and the plasma generating gas G flows into the inlet of the upper portion of the gas storage chamber 11. 10 was formed so as to flow into the through hole 2 of the insulating base material 1. Cooling water was circulated through the water passage 7 c provided in the radiator 7 to prevent excessive heating of the insulating substrate 1.

  The center line T2 in the short side direction of the reactor R created as described above was installed with an inclination of 27 ° (θ = 27 °) with respect to the transfer direction T1 of the workpiece 5.

(Comparative Example 1)
A center line T2 in the short side direction of the reactor R created in the same manner as in the example was installed at 0 ° (θ = 0 °) with respect to the transport direction T1 of the workpiece 5.

(Evaluation 1)
Using the plasma processing apparatus as described above, a plasma generation gas G of 10 liters / minute of nitrogen and 0.02 liters / minute of oxygen was introduced into the apparatus under atmospheric pressure, and the electrodes 3 and 4 (23, 23, 24) A voltage of 6 kHz, 13 kV and a duty ratio of 50% having a pulse-like waveform having a pause period shown in FIG. 8 is applied between them, and the gas flow of the plasma generating gas G including active species is conveyed at 30 mm / s. The surface treatment was performed by spraying (spraying) the surface of the treated object 5. A flat ABS resin was used as the workpiece 5 and the distance between the gas outlet 2b and the workpiece 5 was 5 mm. The water contact angle before the treatment in the ABS resin is 85 °.

  About Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, distribution of the water contact angle of the to-be-processed object 5 after surface treatment was measured. The water contact angle was measured at the center of the workpiece 5 corresponding to the center of the reactor R and at five points on the left and right at a pitch of 2.25 mm from the center. These results are shown in Table 1.

  As shown in Table 1, in Comparative Example 1, the water contact angle changes in the range of about 30 to 40 °, and the treatment effect is high immediately below the gas outlet 2b of the reactor R. Adjacent gas outlets 2b and 2b It was confirmed that the treatment effect decreased immediately below the portion between the two. On the other hand, in Example 1, the distribution of the water contact angle hardly changed. Therefore, it can be said that Example 1 has higher surface treatment uniformity than Comparative Example 1.

An example of embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) (b) is a top view. An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing of (a). An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing of (a). It is sectional drawing which shows an example of other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of other embodiment of this invention. An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a). It is a graph which shows an example of the voltage waveform applied between electrodes. It is a graph which shows the other example of the voltage waveform applied between electrodes. It is a graph which shows the other example of the voltage waveform applied between electrodes. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the direction of a line of electric force at the time of arranging an electrode in the direction parallel to the distribution direction of plasma generation gas, (b) is an electrode in the direction which cross | intersects the distribution direction of plasma generation gas. It is sectional drawing which shows the direction of an electric force line at the time of providing side by side. (A) thru | or (d) show the example which comprised the reactor by the some insulating base material, respectively, (a) thru | or (c) is a top view, (d) is a side view. An example of another embodiment of the present invention is shown, and (a) and (b) are schematic views. An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) (b) is sectional drawing corresponded in the AA 'part of FIG. An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is schematic, (b) (c) is sectional drawing. An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) (b) is a partial schematic sectional drawing. An example of other embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a schematic circuit diagram, (b) is a graph which shows the waveform of the voltage applied to unit A and B. FIG. It is a schematic circuit diagram which shows an example of other embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

R Reactor 1 Insulating substrate 2 Through hole 2a Gas inlet 2b Gas outlet 5 Object to be processed 50 Conveying device G Gas for plasma generation A Plasma processing device

Claims (2)

  In a plasma processing apparatus in which a plasma generating gas is activated by discharge under a pressure close to atmospheric pressure, and the activated plasma generating gas is sprayed on an object to be processed, the plasma generating gas flows from an opening on one end side. And forming a plurality of through holes in the insulating base material through which the plasma generating gas activated from the opening on the other end side flows out, and providing the insulating base material with electrodes for generating discharge in each through hole Forming a reactor composed of an insulating base material and an electrode provided with a through hole, and transporting an object to be processed in a direction orthogonal to the outflow direction of the activated plasma generating gas from the through hole A transport device is provided, and at least one of the reactor and the transport device is formed so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the flow direction of the activated plasma generating gas from the through hole. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim. A plasma processing method using the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the reactor and the transport apparatus is rotated with respect to a transport direction of an object to be transported by the transport apparatus, and then activated. A plasma processing method characterized by spraying a gas for plasma generation on an object to be processed.

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